The culmination of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival is with the most important Ganesh immersion ceremony or Ganesh Visarjan. In 2014, it is on September 8. When to immerse the Ganesh idol? Or when is the Ganesh immersion day? This is a perplexing question for many. Normally, Ganesh Visarjan takes place on Ananta Chaturdashi day. But there are no hard and fast rules for Ganesh Immersion, it usually depends on family tradition.

Ganesha Visarjan 2014 Dates

One and half day Ganesh Visarjan – August 30

Three days Ganpati Visarjan – August 31

Five Days Ganesh Visarjan – September 2

Seven Days Ganesh Visarjan – September 5

Ten days Ganesh Visarjan – September 7

Ananta Chaturdashi last day of Ganesh Visarjan – September 8

The symbolic meaning of Ganesh Chaturthi festival is that Lord Ganesha comes and stays among us. The immersion symbolizes his return from the earth after removing the obstacles and unhappiness of his devotees.

Some families perform the ceremony on the very next day. It is believed that Ganesha comes and stays in the idol for a day and returns the next day.

There are other families which perform the Ganesh immersion or Visarjan on the 1.5 days, 3rd, 5th, 7th or the 10th day.

Today, many people choose the least crowded day to immerse the Ganesh idol.

Those who opt for an eco-friendly Ganesh immersion, do it in a bucket or a tank. In Mumbai, artificial lakes are created to avoid water pollution. This year the governments and NGOs are running a strong campaign for the use of eco-friendly Ganesh idols.